Hopi Pueblo Traditional All Wood Crow Mother Katsina Doll [SOLD]

The Hopi consider Angwus-hahai-ie (Crow Mother) to be a Katsina Mother. She is also known as Angwusnasomtaqa, described as Crow Bride.  She is presented as a stately personage, moving slowly and singing quietly. It is she who initiates the young boys into the Katsina beliefs and culture. In this function, she is more forceful so as to gain the attention of the boys and deliver her message of the importance of the Katsina culture.

Ernest Moore, who signs his work with his Hopi name Quanhoyeoma, spent most of his life living off the Hopi Reservation, returning to live in the village of Moenkopi as a senior citizen in 1998. That was the first year he started carving katsina dolls.  In 2003, he entered his work in the Heard Museum annual show and it won Best of Show, which then sold for $20,000 to the American Museum of Natural History in New York.  That’s an amazing feat for someone who left the Reservation at age 11 and did not start carving katsina dolls until age 63. 

This carving of the Crow Mother Katsina is an excellent example of his fine work. Her hands are beautifully presented, the sign of an excellent carver.  She is standing flat on both feet, a sign of her maturity and importance and an indication of her steady and slow movements.  The painted embroidery on her manta is precisely rendered in the most intricate detail.  Overall, the carving is truly exceptional.

Condition: excellent condition

Provenance: from the estate of a family from New Mexico

Recommended Reading: Following the Sun and Moon—Hopi Kachina Tradition by Alph H. Secakuku